Sounders strike late for 2-0 win over D.C. United

The Sounders arrived at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. hot on the heels of a crushing loss in Boston last weekend. DC was riding high off their win at Sporting KC, but a late rally by Seattle gave the away side a 2-0 win.

The Sounders were a little beaten up, with Chad Marshall unable to make an appearance in his second straight match due to a hamstring injury; Brad Evans was able to play in his stead, however, after clearing concussion protocol due to being hit in the head against New England.

The first half started brightly for Seattle, with Jordan Morris getting a golden chance early, but he was muscled off the ball and couldn’t get back. It was pretty sloppy for both sides, with possession being gained and lost constantly in midfield. Zach Scott made a number of mistakes that nearly led to goals for D.C., but his teammates came to his rescue every time. Morris had a few more potential chances, thanks to some great through balls from the Sounders, but nothing broke through for the youngster.

Former Sounder Lamar Neagle had a couple chances for the United, the best of which he fired wide of Stefan Frei’s goal. A couple of poorly handled corners for D.C. almost led to a goal for the home side, but a little bit of luck and some solid play by Frei kept the ball out of the net. Zach Scott was replaced by rookie Tony Alfaro late in the half, for an apparent injury. Despite a few chances, the half ended 0-0.

The second half was more of the same – both teams had some chances, but nothing looked particularly promising. Sloppy passing plagued both sides, and neither team showed real attacking intent for most of the half. Joevin Jones came on for Andreas Ivanschitz about halfway through the half, providing some speed and technical ability but not much else for Seattle – at first.

DC had a chippy first half, but it seemed even more intent on using little fouls and tactical fouls whenever possible. Not that it seemed to hold off a weak Sounders attack, but it certainly kept things from building – both when the fouls were called and when they weren’t.

The last 10 minutes of the match, however, changed everything.

Joevin Jones beat the entire right side of D.C.’s defense and crossed the ball in (admittedly to no one), which was parried by United goalkeeper Bill Hamid and poorly cleared by defender Bobby Boswell. That clearance fell to Morris, who took his chance brilliantly and put the ball in the back of the net. Almost immediately after the goal, Osvaldo Alonso put Jones through on goal, who beat the defenders and put in a light chip over the sliding Hamid.

The last few minutes of the match were filled with scrambling by D.C., but nothing came of it. The match ended in a much-needed 2-0 for Seattle.

Man of the match: Gotta be Joevin Jones. After being left on the bench, Jones came in as a left winger and took full advantage of the opportunity. He created the chance that was finished by Morris, and used his speed and skill quite well to score one of his own.

Turning point: The match fully looked like it would end 0-0, until Morris’ goal. It seemed out of nowhere, but totally changed the match.

One reason to worry: Against a poor D.C. side, the Sounders looked pretty bad for most of the match. Playing the same way against a tough Western Conference side won’t be enough to turn the Seattle season around.

One reason to relax: Jones as a winger could be the “eureka!” moment that Sigi Schmid needed this season. Whether or not Jones starts in that position in the future is up to the coach, but he showed today that he can certainly play it well.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.